To increase player enjoyment and excitement, and to increase the popularity of gaming machines and gaming devices, gaming machine manufacturers constantly strive to provide players with new types of gaming machines that attract the player and keep the player entertained. To this end, gaming machine manufacturers attempt to provide the player with more award opportunities and to enhance the awards associated with those award opportunities.
Many gaming machines initiate a single generation and display of symbols in response to a wager by a player. For example, certain gaming machines employ a plurality of reels, wherein the reels each have a plurality of symbols. These gaming machines enable a player to place a wager on one or more paylines associated with symbol positions. For each of the reels, certain of the symbols on that reel are independently generated from the symbols on each of the other reels to provide a combination of symbols. A single activation of the set of reels typically leads to a single display of symbols arranged along the paylines to be evaluated for any awards. If a winning symbol or winning combination of symbols is generated and displayed along a wagered-on payline, an award is provided to the player. If a winning symbol or combination of symbols is not generated and displayed along a wagered on payline, no award is provided to the player for that payline. After any awards are provided for any wagered-on payline or paylines, the play of the game ends.
Improvements to gaming machines have been known to include enhancement of the awards associated with award opportunities. Conventional gaming machines employ different components to enhance a player's outcome in a game. One such component is a modifier. A modifier, such as a multiplier, enables players to obtain larger outcomes, such as larger awards in a game. A multiplier increases the award amount proportionally to the value of the multiplier. For example, a “2×” multiplier pays twice the normal award value. A “3×” multiplier pays three times the normal award value. Therefore, a multiplier can substantially enhance a player's award.
One such use of a modifier is disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2009/0111559, entitled “GAMING SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING DESIGNATED SYMBOL DISPLAY AREAS THAT MODIFY AWARDS.” This publication discloses gaming machines and methods of operating gaming machines that include indicator or designator symbols. During a play of a game, a plurality of symbols are generated and displayed at a plurality of symbol display areas. When an indicator or designator symbol is generated and displayed during the play of the game, the indicator or designator symbol indicates at least one symbol display area as a modification symbol display area for a subsequent play of the game. During the subsequent play of the game, a plurality of symbols are generated at the symbol display areas. Any awards associated with symbols displayed in the modification symbol display areas are modified.
Gaming machine manufacturers strive to make gaming machines that provide as much enjoyment and excitement as possible. Providing a game in which a player has multiple opportunities to win an award and potentially large awards such as credits are ways to enhance player enjoyment and excitement. Players are also attracted to gaming machines that provide new game schemes and interactive features including different ways of enhancing awards associated with winning symbol combinations or different types of triggering events. Therefore, to increase player enjoyment and excitement, it is desirable to provide players with new game schemes and features for gaming machines that include new and different ways of providing additional award opportunities, enhancing the awards provided to the players in a game, and keeping the players' interests during game play. A continuing need thus exists to provide new and exciting gaming systems, devices, and methods of operating gamine systems and devices.